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IBRD and IDA: Working for a World Free of Poverty.enIt’s Not OK to Be Silent on Gender-Based Violencehttp://blogs.worldbank.org/endpovertyinsouthasia/not-ok-to-be-silent-on-gender-based-violence
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<P>It is our individual and collective responsibility to make sure that we do not witness any such dramatic incident in the future in our country, city, or neighborhood. It is truly up to each one of us to take responsibility, talk openly about it and say NO. Consider:
<UL>
<LI>In <A href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh">Bangladesh</A>, every week more than 10 women suffer from an acid attack. <BR>&nbsp;</LI>
<LI>In <A href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/india">India</A>, 22 women are killed each day in dowry-related murders.<BR>&nbsp;</LI>
<LI>In <A href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/nepal">Nepal</A>, 77% of the episodes of violence against women are reported as being from within the family.<BR>&nbsp;</LI>
<LI>In <A href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/pakistan">Pakistan</A>, more than 450 women and girls die every year in so-called “honor killings.”<BR>&nbsp;</LI>
<LI>In <A href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/srilanka">Sri Lanka</A>, 78% of victims of grave sexual abuse (seduction, rape, and incest) were girls, especially those under 16 years old.</LI></UL>
<P>There are high costs associated with this situation: the value of goods and services for treatment and prevention, the psychological costs post-trauma, and economic and social multiplier effects such as reduced productivity and intergenerational transmission of violence.
<P>This issue can no longer be swept under the rug as a domestic issue or personal issue or a United Nations human rights issue. It’s not OK to be silent until it happens to someone you know or someone in your own country. It’s about time we break the silence and culture of denial and blame. The shame falls on all of us, whether a woman, a husband, a policymaker, a youth, or a child.
<P>Let us work together to improve our legal frameworks, public systems (police, shelters, counseling) and continue to fight for fair women’s economic and social participation. Let us include gender sensitization in school curricula and teacher training programs; this is where it starts. Let us make public transport safe and accessible for women and train health care workers on early detection of domestic violence. Let’s talk openly to our children and friends about gender-based violence.
<P>South Asia is home to 26% percent of the world’s youth population, and 20% of South Asia’s population is between the ages of 18-25, according to U.N. population data. So let’s start right now:
<P><STRONG>How best can the youth of South Asia work together to end gender-based violence?</STRONG>
<P><STRONG>Send us your ideas in response to "What will it take to end gender-based violence in your country?"</STRONG>
<P>Your idea can be no longer than 140 characters. Exciting prizes await the best idea. We are all looking forward to very innovative ideas.
<P><A href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2013/02/22/call-entries-what-will-it-take-end-gender-based-violence-south-asia"><STRONG>For more information on how to enter and complete eligibility rules, click here.</STRONG></A>Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:34:13 -0500Diarietou GayeIt’s Not OK!http://blogs.worldbank.org/endpovertyinsouthasia/it-is-not-ok
<P><IMG border=1 hspace=5 alt="" vspace=5 align=right src="http://blogs.worldbank.org/endpovertyinsouthasia/files/endpovertyinsouthasia/srilankanschoolchildren.jpg" width=280 height=187>Every day, children over the world are molested, raped, abused, and killed. Who is responsible? We all are, as parents, teachers, prominent personalities, journalists, neighbors, politicians, religious figures, men and women of this world; we are all responsible, including and especially those of us who have decided to be silent observers of the horrible news we see in the media.</P>
<P>It is not OK to accept what we hear or see as part of a normal life. It is not OK to just talk about it and feel it is not your fault or even worse not your child. It is not OK to keep still.<!--break--></P>
<P>The criminal offense of statutory rape is committed when sexual intercourse takes place between an adult and an underage person (in Sri Lanka, under 16). That underage person is legally incapable of consenting to sex. These persons deserve our special protection because they are especially vulnerable due to their youth. Institutions that are supposed to protect them are incapable of finding solutions to this unethical dilemma.</P>
<P>In <A href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/srilanka">Sri Lanka</A> there were 1,169 reported cases of statutory rape in 2011. Between January and March 2012, the number was already 317. Add to these hundreds of child assaults as well as murders and incestuous relationships. We all know that these numbers are an underestimation of the reality. How many of these children are silent, scared, afraid of rejection and stigmatization? Does anyone think about what their life is going to be like after such trauma?</P>
<P>It is not OK.</P>
<P>As a women and a mother, I truly believe that acting together and saying NO to all sort of violence against women and children in Sri Lanka and all over the world is the way forward. How do we do that? Let’s be heard, raise our voice in a big and loud NO, and let us spread the word to our neighbors, friend, and family in villages: It is not OK. It is illegal, is punishable by law and the shame should reside with the perpetrator, not the victim. Let us help put the blame back to where it belongs, not on the victim or her family but on the perpetrator. Let’s make sure that we spread the word and stop the indifference. We owe it to each and every child we brought into this world.</P>
<P>It is not OK to be raped by an elder, a parent, a neighbor, or people you would expect support from. It is not OK to be beaten up and tortured and abused as a child.</P>
<P>It is not OK!</P>Fri, 20 Jul 2012 10:34:46 -0400Diarietou Gaye